Watcombe Primary School

Torbay · TQ2 8NU

General information Primary School · 3-11 years Who goes here 221 pupils, 34.3% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 29% on SEN support Behaviour 6.3% absence rate Staff 10.8% turnover Financials £8,080 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Watcombe Primary School

General Information

Address: Moor Lane, Torquay, TQ2 8NU – View on map
Phone: 01803327419
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Tim Nield
Age range: 3-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 25 families put it first for 27 places – 9 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 11 · 2025 10 · 2026 9
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

221 pupils out of 242 places

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 69
% eligible for free school meals: 34.3%
Pupil mix: 2 in 10 (less mixed than the Torbay average)
English as an additional language: 2% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 10.8% a year (Torbay 17.7%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 68% moved to another school, 32% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Torbay: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 0 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 0 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 1 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Torbay, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 6.3%
Persistently absent pupils: 19.9%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 29.0%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 9.5%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 27 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 24 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 8 pupils
Physical disability: 2 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 9 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 7 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 3 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Physical disability: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2024 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 37% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 0% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 25 percentage points below the Torbay average (62%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well below (3-year average 43% against an expected 56%)
3-year average (expected standard): 43%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 56% · Writing 48% · Maths 48% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 44%
Average test scores: reading 99, maths 100
Based on: 27 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolTorbay averageEngland↘ Falling Down 20 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 25 percentage points below the Torbay average (62%).

Year 6 SATs: 28th of 30 junior and primary schools in the area

#26Cockington Primary School46%
#27Priory Roman Catholic Primary School, Torquay44%
#28Watcombe Primary School37%
#29Upton St James CofE Primary School36%
#30St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Primary School29%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Galmpton Church of England Primary School91%
#2Ilsham Church of England Academy88%
#3Torre Church of England Academy84%
#4Warberry CofE Academy83%
#5Hayes School79%
#6Sherwell Valley Primary School75%
#7Lift Barton Hill74%
#8Collaton St Mary Church of England Primary School73%
#9Ellacombe Church of England Academy71%
#10Eden Park Primary & Nursery School70%
=11Oldway Primary School66%
=11Shiphay Learning Academy66%
#13Furzeham Primary School63%
#14Curledge Street Academy62%
=15Kings Ash Academy60%
=15Preston Primary School60%
#17Brixham Church of England Primary School58%
=18Homelands Primary School57%
=18Roselands Primary School57%
#20Sacred Heart Catholic School55%
#21St Margaret's Academy54%
=22All Saints Babbacombe CofE Primary School53%
=22St Marychurch Church of England Primary and Nursery School53%
#24White Rock Primary School51%
#25Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Primary School50%
#26Cockington Primary School46%
#27Priory Roman Catholic Primary School, Torquay44%
#28Watcombe Primary School37%
#29Upton St James CofE Primary School36%
#30St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Primary School29%

View full Ofsted inspection report

23rd of 24 primary schools in Torbay for Ofsted rating

#21St Michael's Church of England AcademyGood
#22Warberry CofE AcademyGood
#23Watcombe Primary SchoolGood
#24White Rock Primary SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Galmpton Church of England Primary SchoolOutstanding
#2All Saints Babbacombe CofE Primary SchoolGood
#3Brixham Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#4Collaton St Mary Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#5Curledge Street AcademyGood
#6Eden Park Primary & Nursery SchoolGood
#7Ellacombe Church of England AcademyGood
#8Ilsham Church of England AcademyGood
#9Kings Ash AcademyGood
#10Lift Barton HillGood
#11Oldway Primary SchoolGood
#12Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#13Preston Primary SchoolGood
#14Priory Roman Catholic Primary School, TorquayGood
#15Roselands Primary SchoolGood
#16Sacred Heart Catholic SchoolGood
#17Sherwell Valley Primary SchoolGood
#18St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#19St Margaret's AcademyGood
#20St Marychurch Church of England Primary and Nursery SchoolGood
#21St Michael's Church of England AcademyGood
#22Warberry CofE AcademyGood
#23Watcombe Primary SchoolGood
#24White Rock Primary SchoolGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £8,080 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

3rd of 31 primary schools in Torbay for spending per pupil

#1St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Primary School£9,847
#2Homelands Primary School£8,170
#3Watcombe Primary School£8,080
#4Kings Ash Academy£7,814
#5Ilsham Church of England Academy£7,611

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Primary School£9,847
#2Homelands Primary School£8,170
#3Watcombe Primary School£8,080
#4Kings Ash Academy£7,814
#5Ilsham Church of England Academy£7,611
#6Priory Roman Catholic Primary School, Torquay£7,281
#7Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Primary School£7,192
#8Hayes School£7,166
#9Lift Barton Hill£7,143
#10Upton St James CofE Primary School£6,908
#11St Margaret's Academy£6,884
#12Curledge Street Academy£6,763
#13Sacred Heart Catholic School£6,703
#14St Michael's Church of England Academy£6,662
#15Ellacombe Church of England Academy£6,651
#16Preston Primary School£6,650
#17Cockington Primary School£6,640
#18Eden Park Primary & Nursery School£6,558
#19Shiphay Learning Academy£6,503
#20Brixham Church of England Primary School£6,486
#21Collaton St Mary Church of England Primary School£6,291
#22Roselands Primary School£6,274
#23White Rock Primary School£6,258
#24Torre Church of England Academy£5,844
#25Sherwell Valley Primary School£5,781
#26St Marychurch Church of England Primary and Nursery School£5,726
#27Galmpton Church of England Primary School£5,629
#28Oldway Primary School£5,628
#29Furzeham Primary School£5,454
#30All Saints Babbacombe CofE Primary School£5,142
#31Warberry CofE Academy£4,645

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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